More than 2,200 people have signed a petition from the nurse’s union at Rochester Regional Health, seeking a reversal of changes to employee healthcare plans that would drastically increase workers’ costs.
That comes after the healthcare system paused its open enrollment this week and made adjustments to insurance rates in response to backlash from staff.
But for many workers in the hospital system, those changes aren’t enough.
“As an employee of a premier healthcare organization, I am appalled over the fact that we can no longer even afford the minimal healthcare that is offered to us,” Patricia Valieri, a registered nurse in the gastrointestinal unit, wrote on the petition. “The fact that our lowest-paid employees that provide hands on patient care will be unable to even carry basic healthcare is absurd!”
Health insurance premiums are rising nationally, ahead of an upwards of 75% potential spike for 24 million Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace health insurance program, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The proposed changes to the hospital system’s employee health insurance offerings include the elimination of the Consumer-Directed Health Plan Plus, which had lower costs per pay period than the standard Consumer-Directed Health Plan, or CDHP. It also bases the employees' share of costs on their pay, instead of having all employees pay the same amount.
For example, a single full-time employee on the CDHP Plus plan in 2025 paid $6.38 per bi-weekly pay period. That plan isn't available for 2026. Now the lowest rate possible is $42.86 per pay period with the standard CDHP plan — available to an employee making less than $80,000 a year, which is within the salary range for a registered nurse, according to plan outlines provided to WXXI News.
“All of my co-workers who aren't protected by the union, they're the ones who are going to be hit hardest by these changes,” said Claire Gardner, a nurse in Rochester General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “And a lot of them are the ones who are already making the lowest wages in the hospital.
“And I just knew that a lot of them were already struggling to make ends meet being diligent healthcare workers in this community,” she added.
The affects extend beyond the lowest-paid workers.
“I have never seen something like this, like this dramatic of an increase overnight, no warning, hitting people across the board,” said Will McMahon, a union organizer at the Rochester Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals (RUNAP).
A spokesperson for Rochester Regional Health said the current adjustments to the plans came after conversations with staff and reflect a commitment to collaboration.
“Following the thoughtful and candid feedback we received from our leaders and team members this week, Rochester Regional Health has adjusted our 2026 benefits plan,” the statement reads. “Rochester Regional Health remains committed to listening to our team members, engaging in open, honest dialogue, and collaborating to find solutions going forward, while taking meaningful steps to ensure the long-term viability of the system for our patients.”
University of Rochester Medical Center employees also will see their insurance costs rise next year, but not to the same extent.
At URMC, Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans for a single employee making under $71,000 are slated to go from $70.88 in 2025 to $74.43 in 2026. Those modest increases are seen across the board.
A URMC spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
The petition sent by RUNAP was signed by a variety of Rochester General Hospital staff, from security to social workers, and registered nurses to physicians. The comments left in the notes of the petition featured a common theme: That an organization focused on providing quality healthcare to the community owes the same to its employees.
“Employees of all departments just want to provide high-quality healthcare, but will it be available for us?” wrote Colin Dewyea, a registered nurse in neurology. “Maybe it's a good investment to have happy and healthy staff.”
“Do better for your hard-working employees!” wrote Laura Rogers, a registered nurse in the emergency department.
Nurses within RUNAP are largely insulated from the increases, having a negotiated 6% annual cap on any increase in benefit costs as part of their contract. But most of the hospital staff are not unionized.
The petition seeks to reinstate the CDHP Plus plan, as well as expand the 6% cap on annual benefits cost increases to all employees of RRH.
“From the bedside to essential support functions throughout the system, RRH’s workers put patient care first in serving our community,” the petition reads. “We expect leadership that does the same, and in this we have been failed.”
